Always Remember
by irish-table
Summary: Sacrifices must be made to become a hero. It will be difficult, but when the fate of the world is in jeopardy, there is no other way.  I'm baaaaaack!


A/N: So…what's it been? Two years? My bad… Life was just getting sooooo busy and nasty I kinda had to take a lot of time off, but don't worry! I have not given up on Class of the Titans! It's the best show in the world! I'll be continuing my other story, Apple of Beauty soon, 'cause you know I haven't updated that in about two years…*ahem*… anyway, on with the ever-so-cheerful story:

BTW, I do not own Class of the Titans :

"Jay?" a voice called in the darkness. It was the team's psychic and fighter, Theresa. Her cheek pressed harder against the stone floor when she received no response.

"Jay?" Theresa called, louder, and a little more desperate. She waited a few moments, blinking her eyes, trying to stop the tears from coming. He isn't responding…maybe he's dead…that would make what she was about to do a whole lot easier.

But finally, he answered. "Yeah?" His response was weak, tired, and sad. He was lying on the ground with his back to Theresa. She stared at his back and wondered what face looked like at this moment.

"You okay?" Theresa croaked. She sniffed as she suddenly began to cry softly. Her hand curled up into a fist on the solid ground, her nails digging into her palm.

"I will be," he answered, breathing heavily. "You?"

"I don't know." Theresa knew the truth would crush Jay, so she gave him something positive to hold on to.

"What about everyone else?"

"I can't tell. None of them have moved." This had been their bloodiest battle with Cronus to date. Near the end, they had actually believed that they would defeat Cronus as he was getting weaker and his powers were fading. Unfortunately for the heroes, Cronus had a burst of energy that caused every titan to fall, too weak to get up again. Or else too dead to get up again.

"Are they gone? Cronus and the giants?" Jay asked.

"I think so, I'll check," Theresa answered. This made Jay sit up fast, facing his lover.

"You can't! They'll kill you for sure!" Jay cried, ignoring the dizziness he felt when he sat up so fast. Theresa was about to say something, and Jay was about to continue, but then they saw each other. Theresa felt sick once she saw Jay. Jay had scratches all over his body, mainly on his face, and on his stomach was a scythe wound given to him by Cronus. She knew what she had to do and she had to do it fast.

"Your face…" he whispered, placing a hand on the cheek that was not pressed against the ground.

"What about it?" Theresa asked him. His hand continued to stroke her pale cheek.

"You must've hit your head on something…there's a gash on your forehead and there's blood all over your face…" his voice was no longer tired, or weak, instead it was protective and worried. "Maybe we should just wait here." She couldn't do that.

Theresa slowly sat up, even though Jay tried to push her back down. She grabbed Jay's hand that was resting on her face and held it in hers.

"I really think that I should go. I mean…I'll be just fine. I'll be able to tell if danger's coming, or if I need to hide. It'll be alright Jay. I just want to go home," Theresa explained, her voice fading at the end. Home. Her heart sank as tears danced down her cheeks, dripping off her jaw. Theresa knew very well that she would not be going home, but if she succeeded, the others would and they would be safe. Forever.

"Theresa…please…"

"Jay…trust me. I'm doing this for all of you. I love you all. You're the best friends I've ever had. You guys my entire life. I'll – I'll be fine. I love you so much Jay," Theresa whispered. She wasn't sure if she could force those words out of herself, they were too painful since she knew the real story behind them. "After this…take me home." Again, the words hurt her. She phrased it in a way that she knew Jay would not figure out what she really meant. When they got back, Persephone would explain everything to him. To all of them.

"Of course I will. I'll do anything for you. I love you more than life itself," Jay said, his chocolate brown eyes looking into her emerald ones. For a moment, Theresa stared into Jay's deep eyes and noticed how they were beginning to glisten with tears.

Theresa leaned forward and kissed Jay's rough lips. She tasted blood, but knew he didn't have a cut on his lip so it must be her own. The kiss was gentle and loving. Jay feared that she would not come back, Theresa knew she wouldn't, but she wanted to hold onto this moment in case she got scared.

"I love you Jay."

"I love you Theresa." Jay had to lay back down as his vision was becoming blurry and his head was pounding from the many hits he had taken.

She stroked his hand gently before she let it go, placing it softly on the cold, stone floor. Theresa gave him a small smile before she stood up slowly, making sure that she was stable enough to walk. She checked on each of her other friends to see if they were all alive. Theresa knew she didn't have to because if she succeeded – which she would – they would be alive at the end of the day anyway. Fortunately, they were all alive. Some were barely hanging on, others were conscious, but Theresa was careful to avoid their gaze so she would have to do another goodbye.

She slipped into the tunnel she saw Cronus escape to. Theresa was able to sense that he had not gone far. She could feel his presence, which made her nervous so she thought about holding Jay's hand and how she had to stay strong for all of them.

She had known for a while. And so had Persephone. Theresa thought that Jay had suspected something as well, but he never brought it up. Persephone knew that you had to fight fire with fire, or in this case, magic with magic. No weapon would defeat Cronus unless it had extraordinary powers. Cronus could not be defeated by stabbing him or inflicting any kind of physical injury. No. Magic would do the trick (pun intended). Theresa and Persephone knew what Theresa had to do and it killed Persephone. Persephone did not tell anyone except for Hera, who reluctantly agreed that it was the only way. Theresa was more than willing to do it, but she had one wish: that the rest of her friends would live. It took some time, but they finally figured out a way to do just that and Theresa felt much more comfortable about the situation, knowing that her family would be safe.

Theresa used her sense of direction to locate Cronus. She knew that he was weak, but still undefeated. When she reached the spot where he was hiding, she saw that the giants had collapsed and their breathing had stopped.

_ A few less obstacles I suppose,_ Theresa thought. Cronus was on his knees, hands out on the ground. He was breathing heavily and she knew this would not be too hard.

"Tired Cronus?" Theresa said, trying to sound confident. Cronus whipped around, his blood-red eyes were suddenly filled with fear and hate, not arrogance like they usually were.

"If only," he replied. He stood up, but he was shaky. He pulled out his scythe and Theresa knew what to do.

"Let's end this Cronus. Now."

"What happened?" Archie groaned as he tried to assess the extent of his injuries. The heroes were beginning to regain consciousness one by one. Odie, the last to wake, had just managed to push himself up from the floor onto his knees. Everyone was staring at each other too weak to move, too confused to realize that there was one titan missing. Odie and Neil were in horrible shape, but no one said anything. Partly because they did not want to scare Odie or Neil, but also because they could tell that neither would survive, even if they were rushed to Chiron immediately.

"The last thing I remember was Cronus' sudden, vicious attacks and... wait…no…where's Theresa?" Atlanta said frantically. Everyone looked around the room but no other red head was in sight. Jay spoke up from his spot on the floor.

"She went got up to see if the giants and Cronus had left. I tried to follow her, but I lost sight of her and I could walk so I had to come back." Everyone processed this information for a moment. Suddenly the recent events began to make sense… Theresa had been spending more time with Persephone _and_ Hera… Persephone would often burst into tears just looking at Theresa and Hera would have to take her back to her solarium… The thought seemed to hit everyone at the same time.

"You don't think she…" Archie said, swallowing hard.

"She wouldn't…" Herry said.

"Which way did she go?" Atlanta asked, panicking at the thought of losing her best friend. Jay pushed himself off the ground as hard as he could, determined to get up and find Theresa this time.

"She went that way… I think…I was almost blacking out but I'm pretty sure it was that way," Jay said.

The heroes stumbled, hobbled and dragged themselves down the path Theresa took. They strained their ears and could hear the faint sounds of metal hitting.

"We must be going the right way. Let's hurry," Jay said.

Theresa did not realize how much strength Cronus had, even when he was drained of blood and his powers were weaker. She could fight him, but she needed to get away from him, even if it was only for a second. Theresa had to use every last bit of her powers to destroy Cronus once and for all. Like Persephone said, Theresa had to wait until Cronus was at his most vulnerable to do so. And when she destroyed him, all her powers and her energy would be gone and her life would leave her. She would give her life to her friends so that they could go on, live happy lives, stay together, and always remember the times they shared…

Theresa knew that this was the right time and she had to act now. Her fist crashed into the side of his head. The force was so powerful; Theresa was surprised she was able to summon that much strength considering the condition she was in. Cronus sunk to the floor clutching the side of his head which was throbbing so much it was impossible for him to even think straight. If he could, the outcome would probably be entirely different.

Theresa closed her eyes and felt her powers begin to drain out of her. She heard many footsteps from behind, she even thought she heard someone shout her name, but knew she had to ignore them if this were to work. The tension was building up in her body and she felt like she would explode. Suddenly, the bright purple light bursted out of her body and engulfed Cronus. Cronus shouted as Theresa's powers sunk into his body causing it to become rigid. Paralysis took over Cronus' body from the feet up. His insides began disintegrating as well and he knew that he had finally met his match.

Once Theresa had been drained of her powers and her energy she collapsed onto her knees next to Cronus. She looked at him and realized that they had won.

Cronus was dead. For good.

His skin maintained a peach colour, but it had turned greyer. His eyes were open and lifeless, and blood was beginning to seep through his nose and mouth. This was it. She looked over and realized that her friends were standing there. Odie and Neil looked terrible. There was no way they would survive, so Theresa made her final move. She moved onto her back and lay on the ground. She felt content and happy with what she had accomplished. She felt ready to die. So she closed her eyes and let the last bit of life left in her move into each of her friends. The balls of light coming from her chest quickly zoomed into the bodies of her friends who, at that moment, were too stunned to realize what was happening.

"What was that?" Atlanta asked, scared of what was happening to her best friend, who was now barely breathing, but smiling.

"That was for all of you," Theresa said looking at each of them, the holding Jay's gaze. "I had to do this. It was the only way. Persephone knew this, Hera knew, and I think you did too. Cronus is gone. You guys are safe. You have my life."

"What no, Theresa please!" Jay cried as he kneeled next to Theresa who was still smiling softly at them. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "No…no, please no!"

"Jay, I'm so sorry, but this really was the only way. This is for you. For all of you. I want you to live your lives and stay together forever. Don't forget about all the wonderful times we had together. I know I won't. But don't worry about me. I won't be going anywhere. I'll always be here. With you," Theresa's eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at all her friends. She realized that this was best way to die. With her family, with the people she loved.

"Theresa…" Atlanta whispered, tears streaming down her face and dripping off her chin onto the cold floor. Theresa looked at Atlanta.

"It's going to be okay. You will all be okay. I knew I was going to die when I realized that I had to destroy Cronus with all my powers, so I gave the rest of my life to you. None of you are going to die because I made it so."

"No Theresa, you can't…if we get you back to Chiron…" Odie said, his bottom lip trembling a little. Theresa shook her head.

"No, this was a situation with only one outcome. But I don't care, because this is what was meant to be."

"Theresa! Isn't there anything we can do?" Jay asked frantically. He was beginning to sob as he held on to Theresa's hand tighter.

"Promise me one thing…it's all I need."

"Anything…" Jay replied quietly.

"Take me home. Take me home and I won't ever leave you. I'll stay with you."

Jay took a deep, shaky breath. At that moment, he knew that there was no other way to go about the situation. This was it. "Stay with us…"

"Always…" The last words were barely audible. Theresa's eyelids started to flutter until they closed.

And that was it.

"No…" Jay whispered, staring at his lover's dead body. "NO! " He screamed, but it was useless. She was gone.

For a while after, their life was difficult, painful. The memories of their friend still fresh and the images of her death even fresher. They stuck together, realizing how much they needed each other to survive, now more than ever. Their friendship became stronger and they became humbler, more appreciative of the life that was given to them.

As time moved on, it healed their wounds. They saw her often, in Elysium, of course. She was a hero and that was where she belonged. She told them though, not to waste time on her, to move one with their lives. She would see them in Elysium sometime in the future, when the time was right. No matter how hard they tried, they could not resist and they had to see their friend. They couldn't move away from New Olympia or their brownstone. It is their home. It is where their hearts live. All their favourite memories happened in this new life they started several years back. They could not just leave it.

Surprisingly enough, they even told Theresa`s father of the secret and a few times they took him to see her in the Underworld. He needed her and he began to slip away from the world after she died and the titans knew he had to know.

Life was hard for the heroes. Even though they could see their friend, she was always there, while they were always here. Nothing could change that. But as life moves on, you learn to live with what`s happened. You learn that everything happens for a reason; it`s a part of life.

If you are ever looking for something, you will always find it at home, your sanctuary. The heroes knew they were home and things felt right.

Above all, they learned to let go, but always remember…

A/N: I hope you liked it! I realize it wasn't the most cheerful story you've ever read but reviews are very, very, very, very, very, very much appreciated! I'm glad I'm finally back!

Love you all!

Irish


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